The present invention relates to a method for determining a gushing factor for a beverage, particularly for beer and other malt beverages.
In beer production, if mould infected barley is used in brewing, the beer produced may be liable to gushing. Gushing is a phenomenon of excessive effervescence of beer, for instance beer may spurt out of a bottle when it is opened. Among the worst factors causing gushing are Fusarium moulds, but gushing activity is also observed in moulds of the Altpnaria, Aspergillus, Nigrospora, Penicillium and Stemphylium species. Research on gushing factors produced by moulds has been carried on for decades, but so far it has not been possible to accurately identify and characterise those factors. It has been established that gushing factors are peptides or at least compounds containing peptides. Moreover, they have been found to be of a hydrophobic and acid nature. The gushing factors of most mould fungi are quite rich in cystein. Recent research gives reason to assume that gushing factors are concentrated in the husks of barley.